Planning To Start AIP Diet – My plan about how to start the Autoimmune Protocol Diet with a list of foods, meal prep and getting mentally prepared.
Planning To Start AIP Diet
Recently I shared my experience of suffering with a sun allergy (Solar Urticaria) over the past 3 years. Since then, I’ve come across a couple of testimonials of people who have been able to manage/lessen their symptoms by following an Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Diet.
The AIP Diet is a strict elimination diet that I have heard about for a number of years and am aware that many have had success with putting autoimmune diseases into remission thanks to the diet. (Read more about the science and information about constructing a complete AIP Diet on The Paleo Mom Website.)
So, I have been thinking for a couple of weeks about working through the diet myself to address my Solar Urticaria.I decided that it’s worth giving it a try as this summer so far as been horrible and I’m willing to try anything at this point! (I’m on a range of multi-vitamins/medications to attempt to manage the condition, it works most of the year but summers are brutal.)
Getting In The Right Head Space
A couple of years ago I strictly followed the Keto Diet and know that getting in the right head space/frame of mind is half the battle. Knowing why I’m starting the diet (to try and heal my skin) and that it hopefully won’t be forever helps.
Trying to find the positives such as the potential healing and exploring the range of foods that I can have rather than focusing on the negatives such as foods I’m missing out on is likely to be a daily struggle.
How Long Should You Plan Before Starting AIP?
So, how long should you actually follow the AIP Diet for? That’s obviously a very personal choice and dependant on your circumstances. I have been vegetarian for the past 5 months. So, I want to take a couple of weeks to reintroduce meat, chicken and fish to my diet so that I can include it while on AIP.
I also want to spend a couple of weeks planning meals, testing meals that I like and working out what I need to do to make sure that it’s as easy as possible to follow the restrictive diet once I start.
You can of course start cold turkey – decide today that you want to start tomorrow and just go for it. A quick look around Pinterest for recipes and you could be on your way!
Shopping For AIP Foods
To actually start AIP Diet you’ll need to go shopping for permitted foods. You’ll mainly be enjoying plenty of vegetables, a couple of serves of fruit a day and moderate protein and healthy fats.
You’ll also want to think about stocking your pantry with items such as coconut milk, honey, arrowroot/tapioca, gelatin, coconut flour and other essentials to make it easier to create AIP Diet Recipes.
When I start I plan to keep it simple with meals – cooking up plenty of vegetables and a protein at each meal. Once I’ve got the hang of meals then I plant to get a bit more creative and experiment with different recipes that fall within the AIP parameters. (Read about my day 1 experience here.)
I’ve also made a long list of allowable items such as sweet potato chips, carob powder, dried fruit, coconut aminos, tiger nuts and other foods that are permitted on AIP but not completely essential.
Then, while I’m shopping I’m keeping an eye out for them and accumulating a stash of AIP snacks for when needed.
AIP Diet Resources
In planning for the AIP Diet, I’ve had a little help from a couple of resources:
The Paleo Approach – this book is required reading if you’re thinking about starting the AIP diet. You’ll learn all the important science about why and how the diet works, how to follow the diet and then how to re-introduce foods when you’re ready.
The Healing Kitchen – 175 quick and easy AIP Diet recipes to choose from
The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook – a complete list of allowable foods, two 4 week meal plans and over 100 AIP Diet compliant recipes.
This meal plan service is brilliant – you get sent weekly AIP Meal Plans which is really helping me decide on meals I’d like to make in the first few days on the AIP Diet. Click here to learn more.
Get Cooking
Once you’ve picked a couple of recipes to start with for the first few days get cooking to start AIP Diet. (Read my AIP Meal Prepping Tips Here) See if there are some ways to get ahead with meal prep to make it as easy as possible to enjoy easy meals.
My plan is to make a pot of chicken stock so that I can easily enjoy mug fulls of broth or add some veggies for a quick soup. (I’ve shared a recipe to make easy chicken soup/stock with drumsticks here.)
Also, roast a couple of trays of vegetables to have an easy side options ready and waiting in the fridge.
In addition to having a pot of stock ready and waiting in the fridge, you could also prepare a veggie soup to enjoy with meals.
It’s also a good idea to think about sides and look into AIP compliant sides that you can make to make meals more interesting. I plan to make a batch of “nomato” sauce (AIP friendly tomato sauce, you can easily find a recipe on Pinterest) to have with meals.
If you think you may be craving sweets, then have a look for AIP friendly treats you can make such as gummies, panna cotta and yoghurt. I have yet to make any but, again, a quick pinterest search will come up with some AIP sweets to choose from. I’ve already pinned heaps to my AIP Pinterest Board to try.
After following a couple of restrictive diets in the past, I know how important it is to get ahead (and stay ahead) with meals. Whenever I have bursts of energy I plan to cook a soup, roast veggies or plan the next meal or two so that I can try and stay ahead and make it as easy as possible to follow The AIP Diet.
In the coming weeks and months I’ll be sharing my experience as I start AIP diet, meals and recipes I enjoy and my overall experience.
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Disclaimer – this post is meant for informational post only and should not be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your health professional before making any dietary changes.
Disclosure – this post contains affiliate links.
